First Results From LHC Run 2 From the ATLAS Experiment

The ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider precisely measures particles produced in energetic proton-proton collisions in order to study the properties and interactions of fundamental particles. The theory best describing these particles and the forces they experience is called the Standard Model, and it has accurately predicted the results of Large Hadron Collider experiments so far. The discovery of the Higgs boson by the ATLAS and CMS experiments in 2012 verified a particularly bold prediction of the Standard Model. Now, the Higgs boson is providing new ways to search for answers to challenging and compelling questions about nature, such as why there is so much more matter than antimatter in the universe, and why gravity is so weak compared to the other known forces. Some theories suggest that these mysterious asymmetries exist because there are more kinds of fundamental particles, more forces, or more dimensions of space than we currently observe. ATLAS and CMS scientists are testing these ideas by searching for unexpected interactions with Higgs bosons and other particles in Large Hadron Collider collisions.